


Where Sea Meets Sand

by fencer_x



Category: Free!
Genre: Centaurs, M/M, Selkies, non-human au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 14:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13437096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencer_x/pseuds/fencer_x
Summary: All Rei really wanted was to enjoy a nice, quiet run along the beach to open and close his day—he never asked to play conversation partner to a bored little Seele who seemed to have taken a shine to him.





	1. Chapter 1

Rei took a deep breath of the morning air—crisp enough to refresh, but mild enough that he didn't feel in danger of pulling anything on his morning run. Still—better safe than sorry, and after trotting in place for a few minutes, arms stretched in turn over his chest to loosen them, he raised one arm up, grasping the elbow and tugging toward the opposite shoulder while extending his legs, forward and back, tucked in and stretched out, until the felt that familiar, comfortable burn replace the stiffness of sleep. 

Another deep breath, and the sea spray washed over his face with a sharp gust of wind, the salty tang of the water easing away the final remnants of sleep and urging him to action as a shiver started at his nape and quavered down his spine all the way to his rump—and with a grand _flick_ of his tail, he sprang to life, sprinting into a gallop across the stiff-packed shore, hooves leaving great divots behind him that would quickly fill over with sand and water anew.

The scenery raced past him in a blur, the morning sun glinting blindingly off of the water's surface on one side and the trees waving their branches at him from the far-off treeline on the opposite, and his flanks and chest heaved as he took in great gulps of air, ratcheting up his pace from a gentle trot into a canter into a gallop, allowing himself a moment's freedom from his training regimen just to enjoy a good _run_ at breakneck speed.

After a few moments, he began to slow, breath coming in great heaving gasps that felt more relieved than labored, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of one hand, pushing his glasses further up on his face with the other as he drew to a stop, sidestepping until the water just lapped over his hooves and licked at his fetlocks.

He couldn't quite understand it; his herd's territory stretched for acres and acres and acres in all directions, further than the eye could see, and yet most all insisted on keeping to the grassier inland turf or the lushly forested areas—why did none of them ever venture out into the beachlands? The next nearest herd's territory was a good day's gallop to the north, so it wasn't as if they ran the risk of accidentally treading on land that wasn't claimed as their own, and while his herd wasn't so very tiny, quarters were pretty much always cramped for Horz-folk given their size, and surely some of them wouldn't be able to resist the siren call of the point where land met water, right?

And yet in the weeks since Rei had started using this stretch of beach for his morning and evening runs, not once had he glimpsed anyone he knew or even remotely recognized at least as another Horz, let alone a member of his herd. Strange, that.

He slipped off the pack on his back, slinging it around to dig through its contents as he settled down on his forelegs before easing his rear down into the wet sand; hardly elegant, and he knew the dark sand would stain his drab dappled coat unless he went for a quick trot through the shallows before heading back, but it was far more comfortable a resting spot than the dry, burning sands further up on the shore. Tugging the canteen from his pack, he tossed his head back and let the cool, fresh water slide down his throat as he closed his eyes and listened to the waves crashing agains the shore with a rhythmic hiss.

"What's that?"

Rei's eyes snapped open, and he fumbled with the canteen as it slipped from his fingers, very nearly beaning him on the head. Gripping it tight, knuckles white, he whipped his head around—he was absolutely _positive_ he hadn't seen anyone else on the beach, most definitely would've heard another Horz trotting up—they weren't exactly quiet on the move—so where had—

"Helloooo??" His focus instantly honed in on the source of the voice, gaze flicking down to the waterline—where some… _thing_ had beached itself and was waving its arms wildly for his attention, awkwardly balancing on its stomach as the waves crashed over it, shoving it further onto the beach. It seemed to realize it had worked itself into quite a predicament, for it glanced down at itself, before smiling a sheepish laugh and smoothly bracing its arms against the sand and hauling itself further up onto the beach. Once seemingly satisfied, it rolled over onto its back and flopped down, arms splayed wide and chest heaving with the effort while its rather stubby bottom half lolled lazily beneath it. "I dunno how you land-dwellers handle this."

Rei raised a brow, taking another tentative sip from his canteen but refusing to take his eyes off of the stranger. Best to watch and assess the situation, see what he was dealing with, before allowing himself to engage in any manner of conversation. It was obviously some sort of sea-folk—but Rei had never met one in person let alone spoken to one, had only ever played in lakes and rivers in his youth, so to just have one of these…whatever it was…haul itself out of the water and ply him for conversation was rather a new experience.

"I'm Nagisa," it offered helpfully, and while Rei was quite sure that wasn't any explanation of what he _was_ , it at least helped him form a clearer picture in his mind of what he was dealing with. Nagisa. Nagisa the…whatever. Nagisa the thing with a fat, stubby tail and a dappled hide (that look, startlingly enough, like Rei's own) and sea-swept blond hair but rather impressive upper-body strength.

He cocked his head in thought, licking his lips of moisture and allowed, "…Rei."

"Rei-chan?"

Rei bristled, frowning. "No. Just _Rei_."

"Mm, Rei-chan then. Got it!" Nagisa rolled over onto his stomach, his back and scraggly hair now dappled like his hide, dark sand against a light background. He propped his chin up in both hands and let his tail flap around a bit playfully. "I'm a Seele, in case it wasn't obvious." 

It wasn't obvious, Rei agreed, but only because he hadn't the faintest clue what a 'Seele' was, only that apparently Nagisa was one, and that they were some manner of sea-folk who liked to beach themselves and have conversations with other folk. They didn't sound terribly intelligent, and he wondered how Nagisa intended to get himself back into the water—he certainly hoped he wasn't expecting _Rei_ to help. But he refrained from making any such comments and instead twisted the cap back onto his canteen and allowed, "…I'm a Horz."

Nagisa's grin grew positively _devious_. "Yeah, I know," and at this, Rei perked up—so his little sanctuary wasn't so solitary, then.

"…You've seen others like me? On the beach?"

Nagisa just shook his head, waving around the area. "Nah, just you. I like to watch you run."

"…Like to…" Rei parroted slowly, feeling a flush of shame creep over his features. "Wait—you _watch me_?" An innocent nod. "I…why? And I've never noticed you before."

Nagisa shrugged. "Cause I felt like it? You're beautiful when you run! Who wouldn't want to watch?" Rei pulled back, a chill shuddering down his spine—his legs were far too spindly for his bulk, his rump so substantial it bumped into everything it possibly could, and his tail tended to work itself into so many knots Rei was beginning to think it did it on _purpose_ just to spite him. How was any of that beautiful? "And I'm not sure why you never noticed, to be honest." Nagisa cocked his head curiously. "I always float in the same spot—" He gestured vaguely to the ocean, "—right over there, where the water lips over that swell."

Rei followed his eyeline, squinting—but the glint of the sun on the cresting waves was too intense. "…I don't see anything. It's all just water."

"Eeh?! How can you say that? It's not just water! It's—well it's the part where the—" He pursed his lips and puffed out his cheeks. "Ugh, land-dwellers."

Rei bristled at what he was beginning to realize wasn't a compliment. "Well water's water to me! It's not like I spend all that much time out here. Maybe if you had some more concrete point of reference, like a rock formation…" Nagisa's expression twisted into one of disgust, nose wrinkling, and Rei huffed in irritation. "Never mind."

"Well—whatever. The point _is_ that I was always there, you just never noticed." His broad grin returned and he flopped forward again, chin in his hands as he stared up at Rei. "So I came to say hello."

"…Hello, then," Rei offered awkwardly, moving to replace his canteen in his pack.

"Hey—so what _is_ that?" He lifted up onto both hands struggling to scoot closer but really only digging himself into a little Nagisa-shaped divot in the sand. "You were drinking it before."

"This?" He lifted the canteen, and Nagisa nodded, eyes wide. "…Water, of course."

"Water?" Nagisa repeated, brows furrowing together in confusion. "But…you're on the beach. There's a whole ocean right here."

"Perhaps—but it's far too salty for me to ingest." 

Nagisa snorted. "Rei-chan's so picky."

"I'm not— _picky_ ," he protested hotly. "It's a simple fact of nature—my body cannot handle the—"

"Whatever—what else you got in there? Can I see?"

Rei frowned, pulling away when Nagisa reached for his bag. "You're soaking wet," he reminded with muted irritation, but Nagisa was undeterred.

"C'mon, I'm almost dry—I've never spoken to a Horz before, I wanna see what kinds of stuff you guys carry around." Rei pursed his lips before breathing a soft huff of resignation and tossing the pack near enough for Nagisa to reach. He immediately shifted upright as best he could, tail tucked beneath him so he sat a bit higher, and began piecing through the contents, muttering to himself in curious tones and occasionally hounding Rei for an explanation of an item's use. "And this?"

Rei snorted, rolling his eyes. "Lunch, of course."

Nagisa's nose wrinkled. "But it's…just green stuff."

"Naturally," he sniffed.

"Where's the fish? Or some scallops? Those little shrimp that like to hide in the tidal pools?" Rei shook his head. "…Being a Horz must _suck_."

" _Hey_ —I'll have you know it's—" But Nagisa's grin had widened, and his shoulders were shaking with repressed laughter, and Rei knew he'd been being teased. "…Amusing," he amended flatly, and Nagisa flopped down onto his back again, his laughter coming more openly now. "Honestly, if you're going to be so ridiculous, then I'll be on my—"

"Eh?!" Nagisa scrambled up again, brows drawn up in panic, "You're not leaving already, are you?"

Rei swallowed, eyes gaping a bit at Nagisa's ever-shifting emotions; he certainly never did anything in half-measures, did he? "I…suppose not," he allowed, but added with a note of warning to his voice, "But I'll not tolerate much more of your teasing."

"Mmm, good; that means I've still got a little leeway, then!"

Rei frowned. "That's not what I me—"

"Hey, wanna go swimming??" His eyes were wide and bright, the sunlight giving them a bit of an excited sparkle, and he struggled to twist himself around. "Horzes can swim, right? Or maybe we can stick to the shallows? The water feels _great_ right now—especially close to the beach, and then I can show you where I float to watch you! You'll see like I said, it's where the—"

"I can't," Rei snapped, sending Nagisa's train of babbling crashing to a halt, and he clapped a hand over his mouth, cursing the way his voice cracked on the pathetic admission.

Nagisa froze, mouth still open in mid-sentence, before forming a soft _oh_. "…Ah, yeah, yeah. I guess…sorry." He pasted a smile on, grinning self-deprecatingly. "I get ahead of myself sometimes! Everyone says so! Always sticking my tail in my mouth—" Rei's brows furrowed at the strange turn of phrase, "—I guess you wanted to get back to your run then, huh?" He nodded, as if attempting to convince himself that this was exactly what Rei wanted, and then flopped down and tried to _roll_ himself back into the ocean.

"Wai—Nagisa-kun?!" Rei started, reaching out even though he was far too bulky to manage much further than his immediate vicinity. Nagisa, though, blessedly stopped, squirming around to face Rei with brows lifted in hope that pulled something tight in Rei's chest. "I just…I can't."

Nagisa seemed to study him for a long moment, his gaze heavy and uncomfortable on Rei's skin, but he nodded understandingly. "…It's all right, Rei-chan." And this time the diminutive didn't irritate so much as before, and he cursed to himself as he watched Nagisa struggle to right himself again, powerful arms hauling himself back toward the receding waves. 

He _tsk_ ed sharply under his breath before hauling his bulk up, lifting from the back before balancing himself to get his forelegs underneath himself, slinging his pack back across his shoulder before bending down awkwardly to brush the sand from his knees. Nagisa was still having difficulty wriggling himself down the bank with the receding tide, and Rei watched him for but a few moments before carefully stepping over, casting a shadow over Nagisa that demanded his attention.

Nagisa had to crane his head up at an awkward angle, eyes nearly rolling back in his head. "…Hi, Rei-chan," he greeted dully, and Rei just frowned and flicked his tail in annoyance, lifting a foreleg and bringing it close enough for Nagisa to grasp. "…Huh?"

"I'll help you."

"Help…me?"

"You beached yourself to talk to me; it's only fair I help drag you back to sea." He pushed his glasses up and wrinkled his nose. "Just take it."

"…'Kay," Nagisa allowed softly, reaching up with effort to cling to Rei's foreleg, and Rei began to drag him rather awkwardly but nevertheless effectively the final few meters until Nagisa released his hold, apparently finally having found sufficient depth to maneuver. He bobbed in the surf, shoulders just peeking up over the gentle waves, as Rei ducked a nod at him and began trudging back up onto the shore proper—and before he could say anything else, before he could guilt Rei any further, Rei spoke up:

"I can't swim."

"…You can't…what?"

"I _said_ ," Rei repeated, then gentled his tone, reminding himself that perhaps his voice, quavering and small, had been lost in the sound of the surf, "…I can't swim." He swallowed. "I mean, Horzes can swim, I think, but…I've never had need. Nor opportunity." He just wanted Nagisa to understand that he wasn't being contrary, wasn't a stick-in-the-mud, it was simply a matter of mechanics and abilities, that was all. Nagisa could no more expect Rei to come swimming with him than he could invite Nagisa for a forest run.

He sloshed through the water, each step slow and sluggish, seeming to reflect his now thoroughly soured mood, but he finally managed to make it back up onto the beach, flicking away the last of the sand coating his flanks with a swish of his tail—when a small voice piped up from the water, "…Want me to teach you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Rei couldn't tell if it was because he'd started paying more attention in the wake of Nagisa's explanation of if he really _was_ starting to notice little differences in random points on the ocean, but either way, he'd realized in the days since their meeting that Nagisa did, indeed, seem to bob about like a bird on the waves in the same spot every morning, his golden hair catching the rising sun and his excited voice breaking the tranquility of the beach at dawn as he called out Rei's name with both arms waving about the moment Rei set hoof on sand. 

Rei would favor him with a tired wave in response, avoiding encouraging him more than was necessary, before tightening the straps on his pack and setting off along the shore, keeping closer to the waterline where the sand was more securely packed and could support his weight.

And then he would run—spurts of galloping at breakneck speed interspersed with longer treks of trotting, enough to keep his heart rate up and leave his flushed skin cool with the sea breeze spraying over him. Out of the corner of his eye, he'd occasionally catch something breaking the surface of the ocean before slipping back under in a spray of foam—Nagisa showing off, no doubt—and he often caught himself shaking his head in reluctant amusement with a roll of his eyes.

After a few good, hard back-and-forth loops along the shore, though, Rei would always settle gingerly down just at the line where the tide reached up with licking fingers to pick at the sand, and like clockwork, Nagisa's dirty blond head would pop out of the shallows as he hauled himself up onto the beach properly, wriggling and squirming in a decidedly awkward fashion, less finessed in his movements than a newborn Horz. Once, Rei caught himself almost reaching out to help drag the Seele the final body length to draw close enough for conversation—but stopped, lest he come off too forward. He still wasn't entirely sure what Nagisa _wanted_ from him, now nearly a week later, and any encouragement had yet to be earned.

"Ugh, how do you _stand_ the heat up here? It's sweltering…" Nagisa groaned, shielding his eyes from the bright morning sun as he craned his head to try and make out Rei through his squinting vision.

"I'm quite comfortable," Rei allowed, eyes closed as he trained his breathing—inhale, hold, exhale—in a cool-down from his morning run.

"Liar—there's no way you're comfortable. Look at how hard you're breathing!"

Rei cut him a glance, lips pursed. "I just finished my run; I'll cool down quickly enough. Thank you for your concern."

"You'd cool down quicker in the water," Nagisa sing-songed, brows rising in invitation, and when Rei's shoulders slumped in resignation, he pressed home his efforts. "C'mon, just a dip! You're fricking huge—you're not gonna get swept out to sea or anything—" And in what he seemed to believe was reassuring, he added, "I'll be right there to drag you back in if anything goes wrong." As if a creature Rei could have likely scooped up and carried away in his arms had any business towing something the size of a Horz back to shore.

Rei huffed an irritated sigh as he pushed his glasses further up on his face. "If you want to swim so very much—by all means, wiggle yourself back into the water. I'm perfectly content on the beach."

"But—"

"I'm _not going_ , Nagisa-kun," Rei repeated with finality—and instead of pouting or wheedling or throwing a fit, Nagisa slowly closed his mouth again, nodding once, before settling down on his stomach, his arms crossed and settled underneath his skin as he lounged, dejected, at Rei's side.

Dutifully ignoring the Seele as best he could, Rei went back to his breathing exercises, inhaling the crisp sea spray and holding it in his lungs for as long as he could handle before exhaling it again. Silence stretched between them, likely the longest span of time uninterrupted by Nagisa's inane babble, and at length, Rei grew uncomfortable, flicking his gaze back to Nagisa in irritation. The pale skin of his back was starting to pink from exposure to the unforgiving rays of the sun, obviously unused to so much time above water. Much more of this, and he was going to burn.

"Aren't you going to get back in the water, then? If it's so very hot." He kept his tone sharp to ensure he didn't come off too very worried; he simply didn't want to listen to Nagisa whining about the painful burn he was well on his way to receiving if he insisted on dragging himself up onto shore like this.

Nagisa didn't look up from the little sand shrimp hole he was trying to dig out with a finger, frowning when his prey eluded him yet again. "I'm fine," he insisted distantly, tone dull and dejected but not peevish—which was almost worse, Rei reflected. Whining he could deal with from Nagisa—was getting quite good at it, he was noticing—but when his disappointment showed so keenly on his features and his voice lost the little sing-song element Rei was starting to appreciate in its mirth, _that_ was when his stomach started to twist itself into knots of guilt.

He'd _told_ Nagisa though—reminded him on several occasions that he _couldn't swim_ , and he didn't care to learn (really, what could a creature built for life in the water possibly teach one built to gallop across broad, flat plains?), so what was he expecting? To give in to his insistence about wading in the shallows was only granting him false hope that he might eventually be able to convince Rei to just plunge into the deep and pray his immense bulk didn't send him sinking like a stone to the bottom.

He shuddered visibly at the unsettling thought—Nagisa definitely couldn't save him then, no matter his good intentions—and the reaction didn't go unnoticed, as Nagisa heaved himself up onto his elbows, brows drawing together in worry. "…I really do just want you to go wading? It doesn't have to be any deeper than you're comfortable with, and I'll be right there with you, so there's nothing to be afrai—"

"I'm _not_ afraid," Rei snapped sharply, tail whipping in irritation and sending a shower of sand flying up. He quickly regained control of his emotions after the outburst, though, and repeated with more calm and conviction, "I have no desire to go into the ocean, Nagisa-kun. It's as simple as that."

"…Then why do you come to the beach every day?" He cocked his head, but his tone was far from accusing, simply curious. "I told you I watch you—and I do. All the time." He glanced down the shoreline. "You always run right along the water's edge, and sometimes the waves lap over your—hooves." He smiled a little proudly at this comment, obviously pleased at the terminology he'd managed to pick up. "So just—if you don't like the ocean, why do you come here?"

Rei regarded him evenly, and after a long moment settling his thoughts, he allowed, "…Because it's beautiful." He could feel Nagisa eyeing him quizzically and continued, "It stretches on for ages, wider than any lake I've ever seen, and it smells different—cleaner, fresher. And the way the sunlight in the morning glints across the surface…" He smiled to himself, a bit overwhelmed. "It's just beautiful. I can't stay away."

He heard a soft gasp from his side and glanced over to find Nagisa gaping. "Y—you absolutely have to come in, then!" And he launched himself forward with all his might, snatching Rei's nearest hand in his own and tugging insistently as he struggled to maneuver himself in a position to start wriggling back down into the water. If Rei hadn't been so shocked at the bold move, he might have laughed at the sight of a stubby little Seele trying to drag him bodily into the water.

As it was, though, he simply frowned, pained, and tugged his hand back. "I _told you_ —"

"That's _all_ you do, Rei-chan—talk!" Nagisa pounded the sand between them, brows knit in frustration. "Stop _talking_ so much about how beautiful you think the ocean is and _come see_!" He reached again, this time resting his hand on Rei's flank, a steady, insistent presence that Rei longed to flick away with his tail, like an annoying insect. "I guarantee it'll be worth it."

"…I should think you'd be more than a bit biased, seeing as you live there."

"Of course I'm biased!" He shrugged. "Doesn't mean I'm wrong." He ducked his head to catch Rei's gaze straight on, brows rising. "Please? Just try it once? Ah—I've even got the perfect spot!" His cheeks flushed excitedly, and Rei recalled the looming threat of the mid-morning sun and Nagisa's sensitive skin, which was the last straw.

He sighed long-sufferingly, reaching up to gently remove his glasses—it wouldn't do for them to drop into the water never to be seen again—and he placed them in a small case in his pack, frown resolute and unmoving. "…I _won't_ swim…" he warned, pursing his lips as he locked eyes with Nagisa, "…But if it will satisfy you, I'll go wading in the shallows."

Nagisa's smile was _blinding_.

* * *

Though he would sooner die than admit it, Rei had to admit that Nagisa had known what he was talking about when he'd claimed to know the 'perfect spot'. It was a tidal pool that Rei had noticed before but never visited, as it was situated too far up the beach, cordoned off by a line of trees and dense scrub encroaching on the beach proper. He'd helped Nagisa back into the water once again after sharply turning down the Seele's (hopefully joking) request to be carted back to the ocean on Rei's back, offering his foreleg for Nagisa to cling to as he dragged him far enough into the water that he could shift himself into deeper waters—at which point Rei had fixed his attention on the waving arm that periodically breached the surface as he followed Nagisa to the pool he'd claimed was ideal for their purposes.

Nagisa reassured him as Rei tentatively walked the edge, assessing the pool, that Rei could safely walk the entire width of the pool straight through the center without wetting more than his legs, and indeed, while the water seemed a bit murky at first glance, after taking a few tentative steps in, Rei was pleased to see that he could still make out his hooves as he waded in further—and expressed equal delight when he caught sight of tiny silvery fish darting around his legs and nipping at his fetlocks. 

"They're just boring little minnows," Nagisa informed superiorly, but he did a poor job of hiding his delight that Rei had finally given in, albeit reluctantly, and after instructing Rei to cup his hands together, he ducked down before popping back up, spilling water swimming with fry into Rei's hands before flicking his gaze up to Rei's with thinly veiled hope for praise evident in his eyes.

Rei's lips quirked into a smile. "…They're so tiny…" 

"They'll get bigger soon enough," Nagisa assured, adding with a knowing grin, "and tastier, too." Rei made a face, and Nagisa laughed a harsh bark of delight. When he disappeared again, Rei released the fry and cautiously trudged through a bit deeper, with the water lapping at his belly—the deepest Nagisa assured him the pool would be. He glanced around curiously at the pool, where colorful fish darted in and out of the shadows caused by the play of light on water, when he felt something—something _big_ —brush against the underside of his belly, and he panicked, casting about for what must have been some great sea creature and rearing up slightly in an effort to get as far from the water as possible.

The sea boiled around him, foaming angrily as he churned up bubbles, and his heart thudded angrily in his chest as he backed up as quickly as possible from whatever he'd bumped into—when something grabbed a foreleg, and he lashed out in panic, screeching his surprise rather embarrassingly.

"Rei-ch—" something sputtered in the confusion, words lost in the spray, and Rei jerked his head from side to side, trying to pinpoint the voice, "Rei-chan—calm d—mmf!" Coughing and sputtering greeted him instead, and after a few more steps backward, safely in water only just lapping over his fetlocks, Rei took in his 'sea monster'—which was a very wet, very put-out Nagisa, rubbing at his eyes and picking seaweed from his hair as he settled upright in the shallows, glaring up at Rei. "Geez, touchy touchy!"

Rei flushed with shame, realizing he'd very nearly trampled his friend—and then flushed deeper when he realized that yes, Nagisa counted as his _friend_ now—and he scrambled to cover his embarrassment with anger as per usual, fisting his hands at his side and snapping, "D—don't sneak up on Horzes! Don't you have an ounce of sense?!"

"How was I supposed to know that? You're the first one I've ever met!"

"I would think sheer survival instinct would keep you from doing stupid things that might get you _trampled_!" Everything was in disarray, his chest heaving still as he struggled to calm his breathing, and Nagisa didn't seem to be taking this nearly as seriously as he should have. "Y—you can't just go about swimming around my legs like some minnow—you could have been hurt!"

Nagisa continued to pout, refusing to meet Rei's gaze. "Just wanted to play, 's all… Didn't realize you'd freak out."

"Well I _did_ ," Rei huffed. "Honestly, what would possess you to—do you have any _idea_ how much I weigh? I could crush you." He ran his hands through his hair, soothing the strands down before wiping his face and taking a deep breath. "Please— _please_ don't do something so foolish again." When Nagisa didn't immediately reply, he let his hands fall away and slumped his shoulders in defeat. Nagisa was hunched forward drawing figures in the foam that floated on the surface before flicking away his work. Rei shook his head to himself and slogged forward, churning up sand beneath his hooves that darkened the water beneath him—and when he drew near enough, he lifted a foreleg and nudged Nagisa's shoulder insistently. "All right?"

Nagisa simply sighed, listing to the side when Rei let his hoof drop again and leaning against it for support, nodding silently as his cheek rubbed against Rei's leg. "…I really didn't know. I thought you saw me…"

"…You're rather quick, popping in and out of sight all the time," Rei allowed softly, hoping to lighten the mood a bit—he'd been the one who'd overreacted, after all, and taking his fright and embarrassment out on Nagisa entirely wasn't exactly fair. "I can't keep track of you."

Nagisa's head whipped around, neck craning back to glance upward. "I'm sorry," he hurriedly apologized, mouth flapping faster than the words could come. "Should I not—?"

"It's fine," Rei assured him, only belatedly realizing he wasn't simply being polite; he truly didn't mind the way Nagisa ducked under the surface only to appear on the other side of the pool a heartbeat later, breaching out of the water to frighten a shorebird, actually quite _liked_ how he'd dart down to grab something from the sea floor before popping back up before Rei could even ask what he was doing, eager to share some curious something or other with someone new to his world. Rei wasn't entirely sure he would have been so enthusiastic about pointing out bushes or badger burrows had the tables been turned, and his chest felt a bit light and strange at the way Nagisa seemed to derive such joy from something that surely must have been old hat to him by now.

Nagisa visibly brightened, nodding, before pushing off from the shallow bottom into deeper waters he could move about more freely in, and Rei regarded the waters of the pool again, unsure of whether or not he should chance another dip this morning. "…So, is it?"

He glanced up—Nagisa was a few meters out now, in the deepest part of the pool again, propelling himself about in a lazy ring on his back as he stretched his arms over his head, the picture of relaxation. Rei cocked his head. "…Is it…what?"

Nagisa curled his head backward, flipping himself around and diving deep as his tail whipped out of the water before slipping back under the surface to follow his body—and he breached a moment later in a flashing spray, sweeping his hair away from his face with a graceful snap of his neck as he bobbed in the gently swaying waves of the pool. "Beautiful! Is it still beautiful?" He glanced around, likely trying to see what Rei saw. "I mean, I know it's just a little pool, and you said you like how vast the ocean is, but I think it's still nice here, so…" He turned back, brows lifted hopefully. "Is it? Beautiful?"

And Rei had to swallow, chest tightening and heart rate rising again, like before but _not_ like before, as he murmured half to himself, "Yeah… Beautiful."


	3. Chapter 3

"Now—watch out, there's a dip in the sand coming up." Nagisa squeezed the hands he held in his own, keeping the tension tight between them as he tugged Rei forward. "Just a shallow one, but thought I'd warn you." Rei nodded firmly to show he understood, concentrating all of his energies on not panicking as his right foreleg took a bit longer to come down on the soft sand below, nearly tipping him off-balance.

He frowned, pursing his lips at Nagisa. "That wasn't _slight_ ," he huffed, but quickly recovered and continued forward, taking care not to let his rear legs stumble into the shallow pit. "Probably some creature's burrow."

Nagisa raised a brow. "Wanna come down and see?" He laughed a harsh bark of laughter at Rei's expression, decidedly nonplussed. "Fine fine, just keep focusing on walking then. I made sure to clear away all the rocks so you won't trip!"

"And yet you didn't think to fill in pits that could send me toppling into the water?"

"It's a lobster burrow," Nagisa shrugged. "Wouldn't be nice to bury him." He then added with a grin, tugging particularly sharply on Rei's hands in an effort to throw him off-balance, "Or maybe I _did_ want to send you toppling into the water."

And true to form, Rei stumbled with a gasp—his front legs buckling and sending his bulk straight to the bottom, where he settled on the pool bed as if he'd meant to, throwing up a cloud of sand around himself that muddied the waters. Nagisa released his hands with a thrill, clapping loudly at the sight as Rei now sat in the water with only his shoulders-up visible above the surface, face flushed with embarrassment to Nagisa's further delight. "…You're a horrible escort, you realize."

"I'm just surprised it took _you_ that long to figure it out. Besides—" He bobbed up and down excitedly in the foam. "It's better this way! Now I don't have to hurt my neck looking up at you all the time!" He demonstrated this fact by looping his arms around Rei's neck and ticking from side to side in a rhythm only he could detect, seeming quite satisfied with the situation. 

"Have it your way," Rei allowed sullenly—but in truth, he quite preferred this position. The cool ocean water was a balm to skin that had been baking in the sun and dried out by the salty breeze, and he felt more like Nagisa's equal now, less like he was forcing Nagisa to adapt himself to Rei's world and more like he was a willing participant, doing his part to be a decent friend instead of expecting Nagisa to bend to his whims (even if, for whatever reason, Nagisa seemed only too happy to do so).

What he found he _could_ do without, though, was the way that Nagisa would paddle over to drape himself clumsily over Rei's back, lounging stretched out with his flippers slapping merrily against Rei's haunches while he settled back with his arms crossed behind his head, sighing loudly and relaxedly simply because he knew it irritated Rei. And while Rei could have easily stood and unseated his passenger, sent him sputtering indignantly back into the water with a calculated flick of his tail, he endured the irritation largely because, well, Nagisa wasn't hurting anything…and in part because he kind of liked the comfortable weight of Nagisa settling against him. In his element, he knew Nagisa felt more relaxed, at peace when he clambered atop Rei as he liked to attempt on the shore—and his movements were more graceful here, slick and smooth without a fin flick wasted, his awkward flailing about on the beach belying the powerful creature he became when given open ocean to enjoy. If Nagisa insisted on using Rei's submerged back as a sunning patch, sunlight through the water dappling his hide with new dancing shadows, he supposed he could endure it.

He was trying it again right now, bubbles filtering up to the surface as he laughed at his own antics underwater trying to maintain his balance on Rei's back, and Rei tossed a glance over his shoulder, permitting himself a small, sly smile where Nagisa couldn't see and tease him about it mercilessly. 

These past couple of weeks had been quite pleasant, he had to admit: jogs along the beach in the morning, a cool-down just at the surf's edge while Nagisa dragged himself up onto the beach to flop gracelessly against his flank and prattle on about things Rei had no knowledge of ( _"And my cousins told me about this great waterfront eatery where they serve fish jerky and yeah I know right it sounds disgusting but I kind of want to try some so maybe when you're a stronger swimmer we can go together!"_ ) before he finally tired of the chatter and agreed to head off to the tide pool—at which point they'd either explore new nooks and crannies Nagisa had discovered or some little sea creature he felt the urge to introduce Rei to before slowly but surely helping Rei grow accustomed to the water. He was still far from comfortable with attempting anything beyond the relative shallows of the pool, but he no longer felt as helpless or lost when he lost his footing in one of the pits and burrows dotting the seabed, collecting himself and kicking off until he regained his seat. 

But the meager steps he'd taken in growing comfortable in Nagisa's domain, as it were, were just that: small, insignificant, meaningless—and it was getting to the point where even tiny victories brought him less joy and more frustration, despite Nagisa's enthusiasm, that his friend would much rather be off riding cresting waves and sneaking up on shorebirds floating on the surface, not literally holding Rei's hand to guide him along a patch of seabed that Nagisa had, in advance, picked clean of treacherous rocks and sharp shells that might scrape his knees if he were to trip. He was helpless out here, dragging Nagisa down and holding him back from more enjoyable activities. Nagisa's very body looked _built_ for play—and the guilt of being a burden to such a free-wheeling creature weighed on Rei more heavily than Nagisa lounging draped over his back.

And that was when he decided to do something about it.

"You…want me to _what_?" Nagisa breathed when Rei struggled to his feet and let his friend slip back gently into the water, too shocked by the suggestion to yet let his excitement explode from every pore.

"Like I said," Rei repeated, pushing his glasses further up onto his face when they began to slide down, "I'd like to bear you on my back—I'm offering a ride." He jerked a nod in the direction of the dense scrub bordering the beach, well beyond which lay more sparsely forested lands and broad patches of pasture which his herd called home. While Horzes were quite territorial when it came to others of their own species, they paid little notice to other Folk who wandered through, so long as none staked claim to their lands. A Seele borne on the back of one of their own would raise brows and pique curiosity but violate no laws that Rei could see. "I doubt you've ever been beyond the beach before—"

And Nagisa whipped his head from side to side. "N—no! Never! _Never_! I've never been further up the shore than the distance I drag myself to sit with you!" And now his eyes were quivering, vibrating with the same excitement as his skin and looking ready to burst into tears of joy at any moment. "You mean—you'd…" He obviously couldn't even bring himself to reiterate what Rei was offering, simply settling for a heartfelt, " _Rei-chan_ …!"

After gently chiding Nagisa for making a scene and reassuring him that it really was nothing to get so worked up about, and that perhaps his plans for how best to execute the invitation might not work out as well as he'd hoped, they decided to practice Nagisa's mount from the safety of the pool, as toppling from Rei's back here would grant him the benefit of a relatively pain-free landing in water rather than sand or pine needles. After several unsuccessful attempts, though, ending with Nagisa sliding off and into the water laughing too hard to fall prey to frustration, they finally managed to achieve a relatively comfortable and solid seat for Nagisa, his body balanced flat along Rei's back and hands gripped tight at Rei's wrists that he'd looped behind his back, praying that if Nagisa slipped off, at least he wouldn't crash to the ground if he maintained his hold on Rei's arms.

They took a few tentative steps at the water's edge, with Rei trying to buck a bit just to be sure Nagisa could keep himself solid on his back, and when both were sufficiently reassured of the safety of the act—which took Rei far longer than it did Nagisa—he set off at a gentle, bouncing trot along the shore, urged to pick up speed in short bursts by Nagisa's excited whoops and laughter from just over his shoulder. 

He wrapped his long fingers around Nagisa's thin wrists, each with their fingers clenched about the other to bond them tightly—and then he slowed into an easy turn to head into the forest, stomach light and chest tight with excitement. "Hold on…" he warned, catching Nagisa's golden head peeking around his torso to see what wonders lay ahead. "There's a line of dense scrub first, nothing really to see—"

"What're you talking about?!" Nagisa gaped, shrieking excitedly as branches whipped over his sensitive skin, leaving welts that only drew more frenzied giggling. "This is _great_ —they tickle!"

He was clearly too thrilled with the new experience to care much about the damage the brush was doing—which meant Rei would have to do the caring for him, and he quickly recalculated his route, heading for a sparser, more well-traveled stretch of forest. It would take longer to reach the pastureland further inland—but he doubted Nagisa would care.

When they broke free of the dense scrub and onto a well-worn path, leaves and brush trampled along the ground where Horzes and other travelers had beaten their way between territories, he picked up the pace, urging Nagisa to tighten his hold—which he did, with an excited little gasp and wriggle of his body. " _Faster_ Rei-chan!" he urged breathily, strengthening his grip as he braced himself, and with a fond shake of his head, Rei at last broke free of the scrub and into broad, hilly pastureland, giving Nagisa what he begged for with a sudden burst of speed.

He knew sea Folk could be fast—had seen Dolfins outpacing some Horzes even—but he doubted Seeles, with their stubby bodies and lack of those powerful tails he'd seen could ever hope for this kind of speed, and if this was the only gift he could share with Nagisa that might go some distance to repaying him for his indulgence, for settling for a friend like Rei when there were surely other Seeles or sea Folk who would be a better fit, then Rei would show him the best time he could. 

The wind whipped at his face, bringing tears to his eyes and sending his hair whipping about, and the way Nagisa had fallen silent, no longer offering his excited whoops or gasps told Rei that he was struggling with the same, and so he slowly banked his speed and drew to a halt atop a tall hill, inviting Nagisa to take in their surroundings with a playful flick of his tail.

He felt the vise-like grip on his wrists slowly relax as Nagisa allowed himself to glance about, the gasp he released more than evidence enough of his feelings regarding the view. " _Rei-chan_ , you live out here…?"

"Mm, near enough." He waved a hand to a copse of tall pines. "Just beyond that ridge, there's a lake, and many of our Clan families have set up dwellings there." He wondered distantly what sorts of family units Seeles and other Folk lived in—Horzes tended to keep to themselves; Nagisa was the closest he'd ever had to contact with any other Folk. "My parents are on the far side of the lake, though."

"You live all alone?" Nagisa's question carried an edge of concern to it, leading Rei to wonder if Seeles were overly social creatures, or if this was just pure, unadulterated Nagisa bleeding through.

He shrugged. "I would think you'd have noticed I'm out and about most of the day; it counts as little more than a resting place, so I hardly have time to feel lonely. Besides—" He pushed his glasses up. "I quite enjoy a bit of solitude now and then." Nagisa let out a soft _ah_ , and it was only then that Rei realized he likely sounded like he was deriding Nagisa as an annoyance. He cleared his throat, quickly changing the subject. "Shall we continue on, then?"

"Eh? Continue on—where?"

He spared a glance over his shoulder, catching Nagisa's curious eye. "You have legs for a day and may roam wherever you please, Nagisa-kun; don't tell me you're satisfied with standing on a hill gawking instead of _going_." He faced forward again, pressing his glasses further up his nose. "Point me where you will."

* * *

Had Rei known how demanding a rider he'd chosen to bear upon his back, he might have opted against the excursion, as Nagisa had him darting about all over, hill and vale and everything in between, back into the forests with its dense scrub and eventually back out onto the beach again.

Nagisa loved the beach the most, he breathed dazedly, clinging desperately to Rei as he struggled not to slide off when Rei obliged him with a final galloping dash, hooves throwing up great swathes of sand behind him and salty sea breeze pelting them both. Still, he urged Rei faster and faster, until the landscape passing by was a blur and Rei was sure he couldn't increase his speed any further without risking Nagisa bouncing off, but the warm weight against his back and the tight grip around his wrists spurred him on, and with maniacal laughter he was certain he'd caught like some contagion from his rider, he set off for the rocky breaker lining the near edge their tidal pool, making a sharp turn onto it and ignoring Nagisa's panicked, "Wai— _Rei-chan_?! What're you—GAH!!" when he failed to temper his speed and braced himself at the edge, putting all power into his hind legs and leaping free from the pediment and soaring through dead air, seeming to hang for but a moment before he came down with a great, explosive splash in the deepest point of the pool.

His legs collapsed beneath him—and his head ducked under for a moment with the depth and disorientation, sending his glasses slipping from his nose and plopping into the water when he managed to lift his head up again. He groped about in confusion, frowning at his misfortune—and opened his mouth to recruit Nagisa's aid—

—when Nagisa appeared bobbing in the surf right in front of him, laughter ringing in melodic peals about the empty beach as he reached forward with both hands, bright-eyed and flushed and breathing heavily through gasps of laughter, and gripped Rei just below both ears before darting forward and pressing a chaste but insistent kiss to his lips.

"We _have_ to do that again!"


	4. Chapter 4

It was with substantially more force than intended that Rei shoved Nagisa away, hooves kicking up great swathes of silty sand and bubbles as he scrambled backwards, heedless of the sea life that scattered beneath his bulk. He couldn't put space between himself and Nagisa fast enough, in his mind, and he was breathing fast and hard more from the jolt of Nagisa's kiss than the breakneck speed with which he'd just come pelting down the beach.

Nagisa's expression went blank for a moment, confused by Rei's reaction, before he shrugged to himself simply and ducked down beneath the surface with a smile—popping back up again a moment later with Rei's dropped glasses in one hand and slicking his hair back from his face with the other. He held out the glasses, delicately gripping them so as not to break the strange contraption whose purpose he didn't seem to understand, as he shuffled through the water closer to Rei, who curiously continued to back up. "Don'tcha need these?"

Rei ignored him though, bringing his hand to his mouth and watching Nagisa warily, gaze accusing. "What…was _that_?"

Nagisa simply cocked his head, still holding the glasses out. "…What was what? What's wrong, Rei-chan?" He awkwardly stroked one-armed through the water to draw nearer, smiling quizzically when Rei countered his approach with retreat of his own. "Ah—are we playing chase, now? No fair, running up onto the beach!" But in short order, he realized from the stricken expression on Rei's features, that this was no game, that Rei well and truly was trying to get away from him. His face fell. "What…did I do?" Rei just shook his head, warning Nagisa to stay back with a look. "Was it—wait, you didn't like it? It's just a kiss? It's how Seeles show affection—"

" _No,_ " Rei ground out quickly, shaking his head with more force, as if trying to deny that Nagisa had even spoken. "That's—of course, _anyone_ uses…a kiss as a demonstration of affection. That's only natural."

Nagisa's confusion was infecting the rest of his body, and he grew limp, shoulders sagging and bulk sinking until he was just barely holding his head above the surface. "Then…what'd I do?"

Rei's face twisted into a frown, "Like I said— _what_ was that? Why would you…"

"Oh," Nagisa intoned, suddenly catching on, and whatever weight had been dragging him down seemed to lighten as he realized what had Rei on edge. He shrugged nonchalantly, "Because I like you?" His response was steeped in innocence and honesty, no artifice anywhere in the confession and bemusement clear in his wide eyes. "Why else would I do it?"

This, though, had patently not been the response Rei was looking for, and he clenched his fists at his sides before executing a swift turn and powering back up onto shore—making a break for the treeline with Nagisa's confused cries of _"Rei-chan, WAIT!"_ ringing in his ears.

* * *

It took a week for Rei to remember why he'd abandoned the lake for the seaside in the first place—either too many trees to make running possible or too much flat, uninteresting open space to make running worthwhile. The ocean was always changing, beautiful in its inconstancy—but the lake was flat and plain, no waves to mar its surface, and the forest was rife with brush that kept his speed to a trot at best, lest he risk stepping into some creature's burrow and breaking something. Every morning he woke, and it was the same as it had been the evening before; the immutability was _unbearable_. 

But he couldn't go back to the ocean—not yet, not to Nagisa's stretch of beach. He couldn't face the guy (least of all now, after making a fool of himself by fleeing as if some predator were snapping at his hooves and avoiding contact for a good week now) until he was ready to _face him_ , and given that he wasn't even entirely sure what to make of the whole situation—Seeles obviously had a completely different set of values with regard to physical affection; he had no way of discerning what the kiss meant, or what 'I like you' meant or _why_ the meaning of either of those things changed anything—he was stuck running circles round the lake for the foreseeable future.

Or he would have been, if he hadn't caught the excited whispers of a group of younglings racing past the wall of the small garden behind his cottage whispering excitedly amongst themselves about _this awesome THING that washed up on the beach!_

It shouldn't have bothered him—strange bric-a-brac washed up from the ocean all the time, usually great strands of seaweed or curious shells or the occasional smelly fish carcass that the gulls hadn't picked clean just yet. But something heavy weighed on his shoulders, pulling his thoughts from de-weeding the beds and urging him toward the beach, reminding him that he couldn't stay away forever, that his gut tended to prove him right, and so with an infuriated grunt to himself, he tossed his pack in through an open window and set off at a faster trot than usual headed for the well-traveled path to the beach.

His pace picked up, though, as the trees thinned and the leaves crunching underhoof turned to hard-packed sand before shifting finally to the soft, light grains he usually traipsed across—until he broke out onto the shoreline at a full gallop, twisting around in panic to get his bearings. He raised a hand to his brow, squinting in the mid-day sun, and strained his ears to hear something— _anything_ —that sounded out of place, wrong. But all he caught were the faint cries of gulls and the roaring crash of waves breaking against the shore—

No—no, _there_. Laughter, high and squealing, like a child. He forced his breathing to steady and trotted off, wary of seeming overly concerned in case this all turned out to be a farce. It was ridiculous—there was no reason for him to be so—

"Y'think it's dead?"

"I dunno—maybe we can poke it with a stick?"

"Whadya think it is?" The children had formed a small circle around whatever they'd found, one brave soul daring to reach forward with his foreleg to nudge the dark shape curled up on the beach before quickly pulling back. "It's not moving, whatever it is…"

"Kinda smells funny…"

Rei's brows furrowed, his height giving him a view into the center of their makeshift huddle before he'd quite reached near enough for the children to notice his approach, and squinting to focus—he really wished he'd had the forethought to snatch his glasses back from Nagisa before pelting away; he hadn't a spare pair on him now, and it would take another week before any replacements arrived—when the dark blur on the sand took on a familiar shape. "You—get away from him!" he practically screeched, darting forward and sending the children scattering with shocked gasps and peals of excited laughter. "Go—play somewhere else!" he menaced, stamping a hoof with finality and sweeping them off. The leader of the group tugged down an eyelid and stuck his tongue out, making a rude sound before setting off with his companions in tow.

Rei watched them go just long enough to be sure the children were out of earshot before he frantically knelt to attend to the situation. His hands were shaking and his throat dry— _god_ it was Nagisa, covered in caked sand with dry skin flaking off in patches and the dappled hide he'd been so proud of now dull and dirty.

The children had been right—he wasn't moving, and Rei's heart sank into the pit of his stomach as he reached forward tentatively, trembling fingers following the delicate lines of bone that protruded from Nagisa's back, testament to the fact that he'd likely been here for days and probably hadn't eaten in as long. The flesh was warm—burning, really, the smooth creamy hue having taken on a rather pink tone after sitting out under the baking sun for so long, and Rei despaired—until a violent shudder wracked the small body beneath his fingers in response to his touch, a muffled, low sobbing groan following shortly after.

His heart in his stomach flipped over several times. "N…Nagisa-kun…?" he hazarded, soft and wary and steeped in desperation, because if he lost Nagisa like this, if Nagisa had beached himself here, waiting and hoping for his return, only to pass on before Rei could properly apologize…he didn't know what he would do with himself.

Nagisa didn't respond, but kneeling awkwardly as he was, Rei could now just barely detect ragged, shallow breathing, and didn't miss the almost imperceptible way Nagisa's back rose and fell with each long, labored breath. Rei glanced around, desperate for aid and lost as to how to proceed—should he just place Nagisa back in the ocean? Did he need some further care? What if he was too weak to feed himself? Rei doubted he had any of the prowess needed to catch the little minnows that lived in their pool, and he wasn't entirely sure they'd make much a meal regardless. He despaired here that he really didn't know _anything_ about Nagisa, and it could prove fatal. He'd been a horrible friend, truly.

Ultimately concluding that Nagisa needed immediate attention and couldn't be left to fend for himself in the open ocean, Rei mustered his strength and looped one arm around Nagisa's back, supporting him under the shoulder, with his other scooping up the tail end to haul Nagisa up and into his arms, cradling the flushed body to his chest. He didn't have particularly impressive upper-body strength, he'd thought, and frowned at how light Nagisa felt. With a moment's readjustment to ensure he didn't drop Nagisa—wouldn't _that_ be a fine conclusion to this incident—he eased back onto four feet and cast about the empty beach one last time before turned to charge back into the scrub as quickly as he dared with so precious a burden.

It hurt, remembering the last time he'd run through the forest with Nagisa—he could almost hear the excited peals still now—but Nagisa didn't stir in his arms, was still uncomfortably flushed to the touch, and Rei continued on, already forming a plan of just how to go about nursing a Seele back to health.

He cut sharp glances at any of the children who paused their play to gawk at him as he rushed back to his cottage, their gazes inexorably drawn to the creature in his arms, but he just clutched Nagisa closer and picked up his pace. In the garden, he found a large tub he'd been considering for use as a planter, immediately repurposing it as Nagisa's temporary home, for what it was worth. He gently set Nagisa down on his bedding, fluffing the hay-stuffed mattress as best he could, then grabbed two smaller buckets and started the first of several trips back and forth between his cottage and the lakeside. The tub was neither large enough nor deep enough to be comfortable, even Rei could tell, but he imagined Nagisa's burns at least would feel better if he could submerge himself, and in short order he had the tub filled. Taking time to gently wipe the Seele down, frowning at the sensitive skin he uncovered with each swipe of the cloth, he eased Nagisa into the tub and held his breath, waiting with bated breath as he settled Nagisa's head against the side of the tub, cushioned above a layer of towels. 

But Nagisa didn't stir, barely even showed signs of life beyond breathing or the occasional labored moan for hours, and it was well into the evening, the sun having dipped below the horizon long ago, when Rei was jolted from the pages of a book he was poring over—instructions on how to fashion rudimentary nets; he had no hope of being able to catch any fish by hand—when a soft, raspy voice called his name.

He practically threw the book aside, reaching immediately for the wash cloth to mop at Nagisa's forehead, and peered at his patient worriedly, trying to catch his eye and be sure he could focus properly. "Nagisa-kun…?" he hazarded. He hadn't moved from the position next to the tub he'd settled into hours ago, forgoing his own dinner in lieu of learning how to weave square knots for a casting net, and he could feel his muscles screaming to be stretched—but he ignored his body's protest for the time being. He dipped a cloth, now merely damp instead of properly wet, into a bucket of clean water at his side and proceeded to dab at the bits of skin not protected by the water just now. "Are you…"

He didn't quite know what to say here; to ask Nagisa if he was all right or in pain would be forcing Nagisa to answer the obvious; there was no way he was all right, no way he wasn't in pain after a few hours soaking in a gardening tub, but Rei had never had an all that impressive bedside manner, and he groped for words. Eventually, he settled on, "…hungry?" although in hindsight, this wasn't a very good alternative, as construction of the net wouldn't be begun until at least the next morning and all of the foodstuffs Rei had on hand were tailored to a Horz's diet, not a Seele's.

Nagisa's gaze grew unfocused, and his lids drooped as he shook his head slowly, muttering a soft, "G'night, Rei-chan…" without the faintest attempt to question where he was, how Rei had found him, and what he was doing in a gardening tub. Rei wanted to protest, to insist he try to choke down some oat mush or perhaps one of the carrots or tomatoes fruiting in his garden, but Nagisa had already shifted in the tub into what must have been an uncomfortable position, putting his back to Rei.

Rei watched him for several long moments until the rise and fall of his back grew even, and satisfied that he hadn't slipped into some sort of starvation-induced coma, he settled back down again and retrieved his book. He would see about procuring some twine in the morning.

* * *

Rei woke to something chilly and wet flicking over his face, drops of water pelting him, and he grimaced to himself and wiped a hand over his face in irritation, making a mental note to see about getting the leak in his roof repaired yet _again_.

"Geez, Rei-chan—how much longer are you gonna sleep? It's way past time for your run on the beach!" Nagisa flicked more water droplets on his face, giggling childishly when Rei shook his head and blinked blearily, brows drawing together in confusion. Eventually, Nagisa's face took on some measure of focus—he really needed those new glasses—and Rei found himself staring (or rather, gaping) at a fit, healthy Nagisa who looked rather comfortable in his cramped quarters, if still a bit pink. "And I'm _starving_ now—were you serious last night about food??"

He was lazing against the lip of the tub, arms hanging of the side and hands glistening with the water he'd apparently thrown as Rei's impromptu wake-up call. Rei continued to blink stupidly, taking in as much of Nagisa as he could, still unable to wrap his mind around how this seemingly more-or-less hale and hearty Seele before him was the same one he'd hauled up from the beach half-dead only the afternoon before. "But…you were…"

"Hm?" Nagisa perked up, obviously pleased that Rei was rousing properly now, and he almost _bounced_ within the tub.

Rei glanced around, not quite believing what he was seeing—but everything else seemed in place, so he couldn't chalk it up to a mere dream. "Yesterday, you were…" He swallowed. "But—I found you…on the beach…"

And Nagisa visibly wilted at the reminder, sending a wave of remorse rushing through Rei; this was hardly the time to discuss the reasons for which Nagisa might have beached himself along the same stretch of shoreline that Rei had frequented before their unfortunate tiff. He swallowed the panic threatening to rise and clarified, "Just—you seemed half-dead. I honestly didn't hold out much hope—" A lie, he'd never hoped and prayed so hard _in his life_. "—you just…but, now you look so…"

Nagisa let his gaze wander, focus loosening, and he shrugged. "Guess I was tired? And hot?" He wrinkled his nose and tried to take in his body. "I still feel really hot, actually. And stiff—I don't think that's a good thing."

"No," Rei agreed. "You're flushed horribly all over, your back especially. I don't doubt you'll be feeling the sting of the burn for a good week." His shoulders lost some of their strength, here. "But…you were passed out… I thought—perhaps from hunger…"

"Oh," Nagisa realized, waving him off. "Nah. I can go for, like, at least a couple of weeks without eating, haha." He slapped the hide of his tail for show, then immediately winced when he realized the skin beneath his pelt was in just as bad shape as his upper body and grinned sheepishly. "But I'm still _starving_ right now, in case you were curious!"

Rei released a long breath of relief, the weight on his shoulders lifting. Sheer fatigue and heat exhaustion—that was all. He wasn't on death's door (at least, not now), wasn't about to wither away to skin and bones, was still the same upbeat, voracious little thing he'd been before this whole fiasco. Rei glanced about for his book with a concerned frown. "I hadn't exactly been expecting company—it was only chance that I found you—" And he winced at the way it sounded, as if he hadn't cared about Nagisa at all, that it had only been coincidence that he came across the half-dead Seele and no product of Rei's own care and concern. "—so I'm afraid all I've got is Horz food." Nagisa grimaced, face scrunching in disgust, and Rei couldn't suppress a good natured, "Hey—beggars can't be choosers. Ah—but I did find this book on weaving? I thought I might see if I could find some twine to make a net, catch some fish from the lake—they might not suit your palate, but I'm sure they'll be far more enjoyable than some—"

"I can go swimming in your lake??" Nagisa practically toppled out of the tub, rising up in excitement so quickly. He teetered at the edge, in very real danger of the entire tub falling onto its side, and Rei snapped his hands forward to steady it, bringing himself almost nose to nose with Nagisa in uncomfortably close quarters.

This close, he could see faint little freckles dotting Nagisa's nose, dark spots against the pink backdrop that was his badly burned skin. He could tell Nagisa's breathing was even again, no longer the shallow huffing from the evening before, and he still smelled of the sea even after soaking in the little tub for hours. Dark eyes blinked back at him, and Rei gently released the tub to ease back and given them some space—and when Nagisa opened his mouth, Rei's breath leapt in his throat, panicking with the desperate thought that Nagisa would try to kiss him again and he wasn't ready, not yet, didn't know what the first time had meant and _definitely_ wouldn't know what this time meant—

"Thank you, Rei-chan." His voice was soft, marveling, for it didn't need to travel far to reach Rei's ears. He cast his gaze down, smiling to himself. "I know I said I wasn't starving or anything, but…I think I probably wasn't in a good place, regardless. So…whatever reason you had, finding me…thank you."

And Rei reached up, hand moving of its own volition before he was allowed conscious thought, to thread fingers through the messy blond locks, ruffling affectionately and drawing a pleased flush to Nagisa's cheeks that was obvious even through the burn. "…Sorry for being so late."

* * *

Nagisa's seemingly miraculous recovery spared Rei the indignity of having to fashion a net, and after cautiously carrying Nagisa down to the lakeside and easing him into the water (ignoring Nagisa's complaints that it was _way too cold, Rei-chan! Don't just drop me in, lemme get used to it!_ ), he was relieved to see that Seeles seemed just as at-home in freshwater as salt. 

Being back in the water also appeared to help Nagisa's sensitive skin heal, and if it still stung as badly as it had when Rei had hauled him off the shore now, he didn't show it, dipping and diving amongst the reeds that dotted the shoreline, occasionally surfacing with something wriggling in his hands which he swallowed before Rei could inquire as to what it even _was_.

Despite the ordeal, Nagisa seemed to be on the mend, well on his way back to normal, and his demeanor reflected as such. He even popped out of the water one evening, the sun just dipping below the treeline and casting everything in deep shadow, waving something in his hand to catch Rei's attention where he'd settled at the edge of the lake to watch over Nagisa, just before it turned into the short stretch of muddy beach. 

"…What do you have there?"

Nagisa flashed a bright grin. "I thiiiiink these belong to someone I know~" he sing-songed, waving what turned out to be a small pair of glasses, caked in mud and the lenses almost opaque, rubbed raw over years spent stuck in the lakebed.

Rei peered quizzically. "Those…must be the pair I dropped when I was younger. How on earth did you find them?"

Nagisa slipped the glasses on, swirling around on his back and trying to see the world through Rei's eyes. "Wasn't that hard! They were just sitting on the bottom over there." He waved a hand vaguely toward the opposite shore, near Rei's parents' home. He'd dropped them when he'd gone wading as a child, and the lecture he'd received for his folly from his parents had been so stern, he'd avoided the lake for years since.

Rei watched him cavort, distantly aware that Nagisa's apparent high spirits were only superficial, that there still lay unfinished business between them. Three days now he'd had to enjoy this respite, where they neither one of them broached the topic of what had happened before, simply content to enjoy one another's company for the time being. Nagisa lounged in the little tub in the evenings, leafing through books—mostly travelogues—replete with images of faraway places and scenery Nagisa could never hope to see. Rei had drawn his mattress alongside the tub, chuckling to himself at the strangeness of their situation but enjoying it all the same and allowed him to forget what had brought them to such lodgings in the first place.

But eventually, the veneer wore thin, and Rei's mind began to wander—back to the beach, back to their pool, back to Nagisa's fingers warm on his neck, lips soft against his own, and at times he found himself focusing less on why Nagisa had done it in the first place and more on the sensations, how deep down, underneath the panic and confusion and strangeness, he'd…rather liked it. Able to step back and parse it from an objective perspective…yes. He had liked it, quite a lot actually. Which could prove problematic…given that he was quite certain Nagisa had meant it as a simple gesture of platonic affection, a physical demonstration of the high he'd experienced at the time and giddy excitement.

Personal feelings aside, though—he'd done wrong by Nagisa, and letting things settle as they had would only cause the issue to rear its ugly head again at some inopportune point in the future, and so, he had to set things straight. "…I'm sorry, Nagisa-kun."

Nagisa opened one eye, settled on his stomach as he was, arms crossed and tucked under his chin as he lazily relaxed on the lakeshore next to Rei, enjoying the shade of the late afternoon. "Hmm?"

Rei snapped his book shut and huffed softly. He needed to do this properly. Shifting his new glasses up a touch, he repeated. "Just…I wanted to apologize."

Now Nagisa lifted up onto his elbows, cocking his head. "For what? I told you I was just teasing about the carp—they don't _really_ taste like mud."

Rei fought back a smile, recalling Nagisa's dramatics over lunch. "No, I didn't…it's only, I'm sorry—for…running away. Before." A beat of silence passed before Nagisa's mouth formed a soft _o_ of recollection, and Rei hastened to explain himself. "It's just—I was surprised. That's…all, really."

Nagisa cocked his head, brows drawing together in concern. "…Surprised? But—why? I thought—"

Rei waved him off, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter why, honestly. I've just realized now that I was behaving absolutely ridiculously, that Seeles—" Here, he gestured vaguely at Nagisa. "—obviously view kissing as a different matter from Horzes, and…I suppose I've just resolved to put the whole incident behind me."

But Nagisa's brows furrowed even deeper, gaze losing focus in the confusion. "You mean…you want to forget I did it?"

Rei nodded, certain that in doing so, in moving past this, they could settle back into their old routine—perhaps he'd make things up to Nagisa by letting him tempt Rei into deeper waters. Rei would undoubtedly embarrass himself—and possibly risked drowning to boot—but it it would help soothe ruffled feathers all around, it was worth it.

Still, though, Nagisa refused to perk up, visibly dejected and expression torn, like he'd just been rejected _all over again_ , and Rei felt panic begin to claw at his throat again. "Wai—what's wrong? Nagisa-kun? Did I…say something? I really am trying to apologize; this was all my fault, and you even risked your own life just to try and wait me out, and still I…" 

Nagisa simply shifted upright, bending almost in half at the waist and looping his arms underneath his tail to draw it close enough to rest his chin on as he stared out over the mirrored surface of the lake. "…Rei-chan."

"Y—yes?"

"…Can you take me back to the ocean now?"

Rei felt a chill of foreboding judder down his spine, but swallowed around the lump in his throat and instead replied robotically, "Oh…yes. Yes, of course. If you're ready?" Nagisa didn't respond, just clenched his jaw and nodded.

Rei tried not to dwell overly on the contagious sadness he felt now flowing off of Nagisa. He'd quite enjoyed their time together like this and would miss it, he was realizing, fiercely.


	5. Chapter 5

Rei frowned on his third lap along the shore, arms up and swinging at his sides as he dared a glance out across the glittering late-morning surf, lazy waves breaking against the shore in a crash of white foam before blending into choppy, changing surface and starting another crest anew. 

The beach was quiet today, still and silent aside from the ever-present hiss of the breakers—and it was this that drew the frown on Rei's features, for he wasn't used to a quiet beach. He'd long since learned to tune out the roar of the ocean encroaching on the sandy shore, no longer really noticed the occasional cries of gulls, but he'd become acutely attuned to a bright, cheery voice calling his name, demanding his attention, and when it was absent…he sat up and took note.

And today, it was most definitely absent. There were no waving arms to greet him, no flash of dapple gray breaching the surface before splashing back into the water, keeping remarkable pace with him on the shore. Nagisa was not here, and Rei felt it far more keenly than he would have liked.

He'd really, honestly thought (or had it only been vain, blind hope?) that they were regaining some of the friendship he'd despaired had been lost over the past week, finally seeing the 'old Nagisa' once again, the one from before he'd monumentally screwed everything up. But then just the previous evening, when he'd tried suggesting they go back to before, just forget everything that had happened and start over again, Nagisa had looked _so forlorn_ , so tragically lost, like Rei had rebuffed him all over again—and when he'd compounded it with the dull, lifeless request to be taken back to the ocean…Rei had had little choice but to comply, himself lost with how to deal with his friend. 

It wasn't irritation he felt, nor simple confusion. It was loss and desperation and helplessness—nothing he did seemed to be the _right thing_ , each step very patently one in the wrong direction. How was he to go about mending their friendship if he couldn't even figure out what was wrong with it in the first place? 

His frown softened into an expression that more accurately reflected his current mood—the aforementioned helplessness, and abandoning his run (his concentration had been shot from the start, the moment he noticed he lacked his usual appreciative audience), he slowly began to lope toward their pool, the last place he had any hope of finding Nagisa.

Which was exactly where he found the Seele, lying on his stomach with his arms folded under his head as he sunned himself on his favorite rock. His shoulders were limp, and his head listed to the side, and Rei thought for a moment that he was napping—until he caught the angle as he ducked around a bend and realized Nagisa was very much awake, though his expression reflected his sour mood.

If Rei had hoped to be able to sneak up on Nagisa, those plans were quickly dashed the moment he stepped into the pool, long spindly legs sloshing water around his bulk as he trudged into the shallows headed for the rock. Nagisa's head snapped up at the commotion, instantly alert, and hope or excitement or some combination thereof flared visibly in his eyes, expression immediately brightening—before almost as quickly, it fell again, dejection replacing the expectation he'd radiated in a flash. 

Rei paused his approach, visibly shaken at the whiplash of emotion, and he wondered absently how Nagisa must be feeling, then, to feel the shift so keenly himself. He cleared his throat and slogged onward, the water creeping up until it lapped at his belly, and then his flanks. "If I didn't know better," he began with mock superiority, "I might think you'd grown tired of me."

Nagisa's expression took on an air of confusion, brows twitching together as he cocked his head. "Wha…?"

He shrugged and sniffed to himself, casting his gaze aside as if loath to grace Nagisa with so much as a glance. "Perhaps you don't think me beautiful anymore; perhaps you've realized I'm nothing more than a big, sweaty Horz loping along your stretch of shoreline." He picked at a nail. "I suppose I'll have to work on my form."

He received the desired response—and then some. "Th—that's not it at all! Honest!" Nagisa squawked, his flapping panic nearly sending him tumbling off of his rock. "I—I totally still think you're beautiful! I love watching you move! You're so—so—" He groped for words for a few frantic moments before falling silent as Rei's expression shifted to one of fond amusement, shoulders shaking slightly with repressed mirth—and here Nagisa sank back into his doldrums, realizing he was simply being played.

"I was beginning to think perhaps a surly twin brother had replaced my usual Nagisa-kun," Rei explained, still smiling—although, seeing Nagisa's reaction to the teasing, he made an effort to paste on a straight face. "You don't quite seem like yourself."

Nagisa looked away, frown resolute, and muttered, "Whose fault do you think that is?," before pushing off his rock and slipping into the pool, paddling into the deeper waters of their sanctuary.

That certainly hadn't been the reaction Rei had been expecting, and with a worried frown, he hesitantly followed, choosing his words carefully this time. "…Are you feeling all right? Ah—" He hit on the likely cause of Nagisa's mood, jogging awkwardly to catch up with Nagisa before allowing his legs to buckle beneath him as he settled on the pool floor, now at the same height as Nagisa. "Have you perhaps not yet fully recovered from your ordeal? I know you asked me to bring you back—but really, I think you should have relaxed for at least a few more days in the pond. I was working on that net I mentioned, remember? If you missed your ocean fare, I'm sure after a bit more research, I could have managed to catch—"

"Geez, enough already!" Nagisa snapped, sweeping an arm through the water roughly and sending a spray pelting Rei. "I'm not mad at you—but I'm _going_ to be if you don't stop!"

Rei sputtered in both offense and in an effort to wipe away the water, frantically mopping at his face with his hands. "What on earth brought that on?!" He rubbed at his eyes, glad he'd chosen not to bring his new glasses along today; they likely would be sitting on the ocean floor now if he had. "Honestly, I was only trying to—"

"I'm _not_ mad, and I'm not sick." His expression, however, betrayed him.

Rei cooled his flaring temper, remarking evenly, "…You still implied that your mood was somehow my fault. I'll thank you for an explanation, as I'd like to right whatever I've done wrong if I can."

"It's not—" Nagisa started, then clenched his jaw, seemingly irritated with himself more than Rei. "It's not something you can fix, so just…"

Rei reached out a hand, brushing over Nagisa's shoulder—only to be roughly rebuffed as Nagisa purposefully drifted out of reach. He hardened his tone. "I'll be the judge of that."

And Nagisa _snapped_ , slamming his fists into the water and sending up a spray. "It's just—confusing! You—this is all _confusing_! You make my head hurt when you say thing like—like, when you act like you _like_ me—" His cheeks were flushed with effort, "—but then you say stuff like you want to forget that I kissed you, and being around you, being near you like this, it just makes my emotions go all over the place and makes me think horrible things like I'd rather not see you or be around you at all if I'm just gonna have to go from happy to sad and back and forth and back and forth again the whole time." He turned wide, desperate eyes on Rei, breathing hard. "I really _like_ you— wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't. And—and if you don't want me to do it again, that's one thing, but—" He choked back audible frustration, "—I hate that you asked me to pretend it never happened!"

And before Rei could say a word, could even wrap his mind around Nagisa's tirade, he slipped down in the water with finality and kicked up a great cloud of sand as he beat the water to swim away, headed for the sandbank marking the edge of their pool. Even without his glasses, Rei could make out the dark form just under the surface, and he awkwardly slogged through the water to give chase, not yet understanding what had just happened but knowing with stark certainty that he couldn't let Nagisa swim off like this, had to stop him before he reached the ocean—

But Nagisa hit the sandbank, and with two strong arms, heaved himself up and out, only to tumble over the side and into deeper waters. Rei reached the bank only a few moments behind, hooves scrambling for purchase on the soft seabed, and he glanced around in panicked hesitation—nothing around, nothing but wide, open ocean and a fading froth to indicate where Nagisa had slapped the surface with his tail to bring power to his stroke. 

He cursed softly to himself, shoving aside the unease at leaving their pool for water far deeper than he'd ever dared venture in before, and he used his hindquarters to leverage himself up and over the shallow sandbank, toppling with even less grace than Nagisa had demonstrated onto the seabed beyond, which rapidly dropped away until he couldn't find purchase anymore. 

He bit back the panic that threatened to surface, awkwardly paddling with his long limbs and struggling to stay afloat as he glanced around for any sign of Nagisa—more bubbles, a swirling eddy that didn't look like it belonged, a flash of pink skin or dappled gray hide slapping the surface—but there was nothing, nothing but vast blue _ocean_ stretching out far and wide, further than he could see even _with_ his glasses, and he resorted to calling Nagisa's name instead, voice sharp and desperate with increasing roughness as his breathing grew labored the further out he paddled.

The ocean no longer looked beautiful or inviting—it was just a spacious desert of _nothing_ , waves the only thing marring the monotony of its surface, splashing him and knocking him about, filling his mouth with salty seawater every time he opened it to cry out for Nagisa.

He glanced behind him, nervously searching for the shore, and felt the panic back once more, clutching at his throat as he realized he was uncomfortably far away now, with nothing but his steadily tiring limbs able to bring him back to safety. He struggled to twist himself back around, vowing to rest, regroup, and try again—hadn't Nagisa mentioned his home was near here? Surely he couldn't have gone far—but to his horror, the waves did nothing to help push him closer to the shore, only serving to pull him further out on every release, the current nipping at his heels and trying to tug him away and down. His legs continued to bat at the water furiously, but the familiar burn was setting into his overworked muscles, already exhausted from his morning run, and he was just too bulky, couldn't float properly, was starting to _sink_ —

—and then something dug into his hindquarters, sharp and gripping tight, and he began to move _forward_ again, speeding through the water and back to shore so fast he generated a wake of his own. It was so sudden—too sudden to even allow panic to set in, to lash out at whatever had grabbed on to him. In hindsight, he reflected that he had likely released a rather unbecoming (and definitely not-beautiful) screech of shock and fear, but the end result was the same: he was under the influence of whatever had latched on to him for some several dozen body-lengths or so before he found himself back in the shallows, hooves scrambling for purchase on the soft, sandy bottom as he charged up onto the beach, twisting around with his heart in his throat just in time to see—

—Nagisa's tail slipping back under the surf.


	6. Chapter 6

Rei had traversed the beach so often in the past week, up and down the shoreline in an ever-repeating loop, that he was surprised he hadn't worn the sand down to bedrock by now. He was quite certain he could make the trek in his sleep, now, but on every pass, no matter how hard he strained his eyes (these new glasses would take some getting used to), all that stared back out at him was the broad, flat, glittering blue surface of the ocean.

Their pool was equally lifeless—the small fry still flit about Rei's hooves when he waded in, arching his neck to try and see if he couldn't catch a familiar shadow hiding in the deeper dips of the pool, and the little shrimp and sand crabs still gave him wide berth, but the life that he was _looking_ for was nowhere to be seen. He'd waded in as far as he was comfortable, even abandoning the pool and stepping slowly, one hoof in front of the other and leaving the shore behind, into the open ocean, but he'd never been able to bring himself to try swimming again.

After all, he'd reasoned—what would be the point? While swimming in those depths hadn't been nearly as harrowing an experience as he'd expected it to be, and even if he somehow managed not to tire as quickly as before—how on earth could be expect to find Nagisa in all that _ocean_?

He'd even looked for signs that Nagisa had at least _been_ there, at some point—maybe a half-eaten fish carcass or bits of fur he'd shed during a molt—but Nagisa had either grown more fastidious in ensuring he cleaned up after himself (not likely) or he truly _had_ abandoned Rei and their pool. 

With a beleaguered sigh, he slogged his way back onto the shore, delicately shaking his hooves to dry them, before clopping through the sand back toward the long stretch of beach bordering the open ocean. He kicked up swathes of sand, dragging his hooves along, and coated his fetlocks with grains—but for once paid them no attention, his mind elsewhere.

It was simply…that he wasn't sure he understood. Why Nagisa was angry with him—or even, truthfully, if he was _angry_ with Rei at all. Nagisa had _snapped_ at him—Nagisa, who was always smiling or joking or flushed with happiness over the most ridiculously insignificant things and thought Rei loping awkwardly along the shoreline was somehow _beautiful_. He'd snapped, gone all pale and emotional and Rei just didn't _understand_

_"if you don't want me to do it again, that's one thing, but—I hate that you asked me to pretend it never happened!"_

He frowned to himself, front legs buckling as he let his weight fall to the sand and tucked his legs into his bulk. Nagisa was usually terribly (indeed _terribly_ ) straightforward in his interactions with Rei—startlingly so at times—so what was it about this outburst exactly that had Rei so confused?

Was it simply that…he couldn't see how he was _supposed_ to take it?

He was a Horz, and Nagisa was a Seele; they had a hard enough time on the best of days just being _friends_ , navigating each other's idiosyncrasies with as much awkward grace as they could muster—so what on earth could Nagisa mean, saying he _liked_ Rei?

He glanced down at his chest, brushing fingers over his pectorals and abdomen, and down to where his flesh became peppered with the soft dappling of his coat, spine stretching out long behind him into his broad backside and strong hindquarters. Truthfully, he was a bit on the lanky side, hadn't yet filled out into the muscling and girth he'd have in another few years at maturity—and so he couldn't see what on earth there was _to_ like about him.

But then again, he never _had_ understood what Nagisa saw, always insisting he was beautiful—he'd thought initially that surely there must be some linguistic disconnect going on, or perhaps the Seele concept of beauty differed drastically from that of Horzes, but when Nagisa had tried to explain it to him once, he'd just been baffled that Nagisa seemed to interpret the same things _so_ very differently from Rei.

_"It's just…different!"_ He'd rolled onto his back in the shallows, supporting himself on his elbows, and raised his tail for show. _"I'm useless out of water with this thing! But Rei-chan is graceful in _and_ of water—it's beautiful!"_

It hadn't made much sense then, and it still didn't make much now…but he supposed that if Nagisa claimed to see something worth admiring in him, then…there had to be _some_ genuine truth to Nagisa's proclamation, if only in the Seele's befuddled little head. If he _thought_ Rei was beautiful, was worth of being…liked…then—was that not enough?

He brought dry, rough fingers to his lips, chapped from the wind. 

It wasn't, on looking back now, that he hadn't _wanted_ Nagisa to kiss him—but nor had it been that he particularly _did_ want him to. The thought had never crossed his mind before and was only there now because Nagisa had _placed_ it there. He wondered, not for the first time in the past week or so, how he might react if Nagisa were to do it again. Assuming Rei ever found him.

He darted a tongue out to wet his lips and tasted salt—and released a soft, lingering sigh. All this thinking about Nagisa was doing nothing to solve the issue of how he was ever going to be able to _find him_ again and merely pressing home the fact that his strangely endearing little companion was _not here_. He couldn't bring himself to focus too intently on the _why_ of Nagisa's outburst, or what Nagisa meant when he said he _liked_ Rei—he simply wanted to _see him_ again, to have him settled there in the shallows flicking water on Rei and snorting at the scowl he'd receive in return while chiding him for being _way too serious_ , because Nagisa would know what to do, would help Rei work through this. He _had_ to—for Rei was getting nowhere on his own.

He ran fingers through his hair, pausing to scratch at the back of his head, and let his attention wander as he tried to decide where he'd try searching next; perhaps Nagisa had abandoned this area of the coast entirely and had moved his play site further north or south to avoid running into Rei again. The next decent stretch of beach was a two-hour run toward the northern cape and would require a bit of preparation on Rei's part—he'd try it tomorrow morning, perhaps bring a length of rope for safety and wade out a bit deeper than usual—

_THUNK_

Rei flinched, hands immediately coming up to block what he instinctively took to be some coming onslaught—and he reached to soothe the small knot created from the impact of whatever had just been chucked his way. Something thumped to the sand before him, and he glanced down…and found his glasses. Not the ones on his face, but the pair that had been dropped in the little pool weeks before. The pair that—

He was on his feet almost immediately scrambling up onto all fours and casting about the ocean, trying to ignore the crashing waves and pick out something, any sign of rippling where there shouldn't be or water lipping over a body just below the surface or—there, just there, an almost imperceptible wake following the splash of a tail slapping against the surface to duck down.

Unthinking, he charged into the surf, shouting to be heard over the water, _"Nagisa-kun! NAGISA-KUN!"_ Waves pelted his body, small at first but larger the further out he trudged—but his bulk spared him any threat, and he dug in with each pounding wave and waited for it to pass before marching deeper. He flicked his gaze about, wondering offhandedly how long Nagisa could hold his breath and if he could perhaps just wait him out—he had to come up for air at some point, didn't he?—and _dammit_ , he was out as deep as he dared go, water lapping at his shoulders and another wave building threateningly in the distance, but Nagisa was _gone_. _Again_.

He continued calling for Nagisa, voice echoing across the beach but only a muffled parody of his cries as the roar of the waves overpowered his voice, but received no response, no more flickers of tail slapping the surface, no blond heads bobbing just as the periphery of his vision. He could feel it again—that familiar tightening of his chest and throat where frustration and failure clawed at him and made him just want to _give up_ , because he was so _tired_ of not knowing what to do or how to make things right again, and Nagisa wasn't here to be his usual blunt self and just _tell_ Rei—he was willing to listen this time, he really was! 

He stamped a hoof and cursed under his breath, glancing back at the shore and rearing up so that he wasn't swallowed by a wave bearing down upon him—he didn't dare venture out beyond the breakers again; he wasn't sure he could get back on his own power, and he couldn't be sure Nagisa would save him again this time, but…perhaps there was _one_ more thing he could try.

They'd done it a dozen times in the pool, mostly to help Rei get used to the notion of having his head completely submerged. It wasn't that he'd never swum before or dunked himself in water, it was simply…different. The ocean was not the pond his herd congregated around, and submerging himself in the sea's salty brine was not a simply dunk in the water for bathing. He'd balked, staunchly refused at first, but eventually Nagisa had wheedled his way into Rei's good graces, convincing him he'd be right there, ready to help, that if _Turdles_ could learn to swim then surely someone as beautiful and capable as Rei could—and Rei would not deny this compliment had gone a long way toward convincing him to eventually give in.

He steeled himself, steadied his breathing, and squared his shoulders—before taking a great gulp of air and letting his legs buckle around him, sending him settling down floating just above the ocean floor, where his natural buoyancy kept him afloat. Gingerly, cheeks puffed with his held breath, he let his eyes flutter open slowly, wincing at the dull sting and blinking a few times in quick succession to bring his murky surroundings into focus—

—and there was Nagisa _right in front of him_.

He squawked inelegantly, releasing a vibrant stream of bubbles, and bat at the water frantically to struggle back to the surface as his legs scrambled for purchase beneath him. His head broke the surface quickly, coughing violently and wiping at his face, and in short order, Nagisa's dirty-blond head popped up beside him as he bobbed on cresting waves, a stream of apologies spilling from his mouth: "Ohmygosh, Rei-chan, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I didn't meant to care you! Honest!" He laid a tentative hand on Rei's shoulder blade, ducking his head to try and make eye contact with big, plaintive eyes begging forgiveness. "…Are you okay?"

Rei felt his breathing slowly return to normal and batted away the comforting hand with one arm while he used the other to wipe the water from his eyes. "Wh—what on earth were you doing?!" He didn't entirely know himself if he meant _what were you doing just popping up right in front of me?!_ or _what have you been doing all this time?! I've been searching all over for you!_ but an answer to either question would suit him just fine. 

Nagisa floated away, bobbing on gentle swells just out of arm's reach, and he flushed brightly with shame, averting his gaze and mumbling, "Just…I told you before, I was really confused—so…I guess I needed to get away for a bit. I didn't want to bother you—so I was watching you where you couldn't see me anymore." His brows drew together, reflecting his internal frustration as he bit out, "I know…I said sometimes I felt like I didn't want to be around you, because of how it made me feel all kinds of different things—not all of them good—but…" He shrugged to himself. "I couldn't help it. I couldn't _not_ watch you!"

Rei watched him unload with blank shock, barely keeping his jaw from just hanging open—and he didn't know what emotion to start with; joy that he'd finally found Nagisa again, a startling urge to grab hold of him and never let go to ensure he wouldn't paddle off never to be found again, irritation and embarrassment at being jolted by Nagisa's sudden appearance, or dark frustrated anger that he'd been _so worried_ and _so desperate_ this past week, all but _begging_ Nagisa to come back, and Nagisa had been watching him the whole time. _Ignoring_ him. The anger won out, in the end.

"You—I've been looking _all over_ for you!" he snapped sharply, and Nagisa flinched, urging Rei to unconsciously gentle his tone more to scolding. "This whole week, every day, I've been…" And well, was there any need to remind Nagisa of what he'd been doing, making a fool of himself running around the beach calling out for someone who'd apparently been _actively_ avoiding him the entire time? He grimaced in irritation with himself. "I've been _looking_ for you all this time…"

"…Why?" The question sounded solid, not quavering or concerned—like a rhetorical question, like Rei was supposed to _think_ on it, and he snapped his gaze up from where it had fallen to focus on the gentle lips and swells of the water around them. "Why did you come here? Why were you looking for me?"

Rei opened his mouth, the ready response of _Isn't it obvious?_ on his lips, but faltered at the last moment because—well, _was_ it all that obvious? Hadn't he been wracking his mind to figure out just what he would say to Nagisa when he finally managed to track him down?

Nagisa, though, visibly wilted at Rei's reticence, and this lit a spark of irritation. Rei bristled, fighting the wave of guilt that wanted to wash over him whenever Nagisa _looked_ like that. "You—you can't pull that on me again! It's not fair!" He knew he sounded childish just now, but he couldn't help it. Nagisa was acting like a child, so he was just as entitled to do so himself. "Just because—" He swallowed thickly, evening out his voice, "Just because I don't know…if I feel anything like what you feel, just because I don't _understand_ it—" Nagisa winced, as if being reminded of just how far apart they fell on this point physically pained him. "—it's no reason to guilt me or avoid me or—" He fixed a pointed stare on Nagisa here "— _stalk me_." Nagisa had the good graces to blush sheepishly here, the faint hint of a smile playing at his lips despite their argument. 

Rei sighed, running fingers through his hair and playing with the strands hanging at the base of his skull. "Just…if you truly want me to understand what you mean…then I'm afraid you'll have to stick around and _show me_. As you can see, I haven't been very successful in my efforts on my own. And, in return—" He took a tentative step forward, holding his breath and praying Nagisa didn't try to float away like before; he never wanted to see that panicked expression of _can't be near you, can't be near you_ again. His fingers twitched, longing to reach out and _grab_ just to be sure—that Nagisa was there, that Nagisa wouldn't _abandon him_ again, but he stayed his hand. "—I promise to make every effort to be more conscientious of your feelings now. So just—don't leave again?" He raised his brows hopefully. "Or I'm afraid I'll have to dive in again after you to try and get you back."

Nagisa smiled weakly at the good-natured threat, responding softly with, "Probably shouldn't do that… You really _do_ sink like a rock."

Rei feigned indignation, puffing his chest out, "I'll have you know I was doing perfectly fine."

"But I still had to save you?"

Rei pursed his lips, trying to fight a smile and proving rather unsuccessful at it. "That simply means I need to build up my strength more. I'm sure with time and training I'll be ready for another attempt."

"Mmm…training?"

A nod, and Rei jerked his head back toward shore, keeping Nagisa well in his sights. "Lots and lots of running along the beach."


	7. Epilogue

Rei frowned, giving the piece of…whatever it was Nagisa had forced onto him a tentative sniff before making a face. "It—smells like rotting fish!"

"Come _on_ , Rei-chan—you _promised_. I'd try some of your grass stuff and you have to try some of my salmon jerky!"

Rei tried logic. "But—I'm a _herbivore_. I don't _eat_ meat."

"It's not meat," Nagisa reasoned, trying to gnaw on some dried alfalfa sprouts Rei had brought with him for a mid-morning snack. "It's fish."

"My point remains," he sniffed superiorly—before his expression melted into one of defeat, and with a deep breath, he held his nose and pressed a small slice of the jerky to the back of his tongue, trying to swallow too quickly to retain much of the taste. It didn't work, though, and in short order he was hacking and wheezing, trying to force the nasty little morsel down his throat while Nagisa's peals of laughter echoed across the beach. He coughed sharply and slammed a fist to his chest, grinding out, "That—was _foul_."

"Yeah yeah—your nasty little sprouts taste like seaweed dust. I don't think I'll ever be able to wash the taste out of my mouth." He made a face and scrunched up his nose. "…I don't think we should try that again."

"Indeed."

Nagisa's bright laughter finally died down to shaking shoulders, and he twisted awkwardly in place to lean into Rei's flank, burying his face in the soft hide of his belly and breathing in deeply—only to release a soft, contented giggle every time Rei's barrel of a stomach expanded with each inhalation. It was a warm, pleasant pressure against his side, and Rei couldn't help reaching over to comb his fingers through Nagisa's shock of unruly hair and ruffle it further.

Nagisa's hand immediately came up, as if in some attempt to rearrange what had been a perfect coiffure. "Hey—what was that for?" He sounded less _angry_ and more simply pouting for show, and Rei simply shrugged innocently.

"Retaliation." When Nagisa cocked his head in clear confusion, he clarified with a flick of his tail, sending up a spray of soft sand. "For you rubbing all over my coat—getting me dirty." A shudder rippled down his spine, hide shaking and sending up a dusty cloud as evidence. 

Nagisa was unmoved, though, and just draped himself lazily over Rei's flank, drumming his fingers along the line of his spine. "Guess you'll just have to go for a dip to wash off, then!" The grin that curled at his lips suggested this had not been unplanned, and Rei rolled his eyes, flicking his tail again and being sure a few clumps of sand pelted Nagisa this time.

"Sneaky little Seele," he chided, ignoring Nagisa's squawks of protest as he shifted to his feet unsteadily, being sure to take care not to trample his friend who now lay helpless on the beach.

"R—Rei-chan!" Nagisa called, flailing helplessly and straining to reach out to grab onto the leg nearest him for help in being dragged back out to sea. He was too far upshore now to make it back to the water without considerable effort, and spending this much time out of the water was sure to burn his delicate skin and dehydrate him. 

Not that Rei had any intention of leaving the poor thing here all alone—but nor was he going to let their positions (and the delicious power imbalance) go without taking advantage, and he crossed his arms over his chest, moving so that his bulk cast a shadow over Nagisa as he intoned superiorly, "Something the matter?"

Nagisa lifted up with both arms, frowning, " _Yeah_ something's the matter—help me back to the water!" He shifted his weight to balance on one arm, raising the other in entreaty.

But Rei was not to be goaded into doing Nagisa's bidding so easily, and he cocked his head in thought. "Perhaps I could help… _if_ you were to beg for my aid—and remember, you cannot be overly dramatic in this gesture."

Nagisa gaped for a moment—before rolling his eyes and drawling, "O great Horz, please won't you help this unfortunate beached creature back to his miserable home in the depths? He would be ever so grateful for your mercy and offer his— _UWAH!_ "

He never got to finish his plea, though, when Rei stooped down and unceremoniously scooped Nagisa up in his arms, holding him close to his chest as he trotted into the surf—deep enough until the water lapped over his shoulders, at which point he heaved Nagisa up to toss him into the water, hoping for a great splash in return—

—except Nagisa frantically grabbed at his arms as Rei let him fly, refusing to loosen his grip, and his weight pulled Rei down into—and under—the water as well, leaving them both hacking and coughing and sputtering in the waves when they finally made it back to the surface.

Nagisa was _ecstatic_ between bouts of coughing as he shoved scraggly hair from his eyes, clapping and demanding, "Again, Rei-chan! That was _so much fun_!"

Rei's coughing was more genuine and reflexive—he hadn't been expecting to take a dive just now—and he swept a hand over his forehead to slick his hair back, trying to frown and emote his irritation but failing as his lips quirked into an involuntary smile. "Just—honestly, that was utterly underhanded. And _dangerous_ too—"

"Oh _c'mon_ , Rei-chan! It was totally fun, let's do it again! Come ooooonnnn!!" He began to shake Rei bodily by the shoulder, putting his weight into his entreaties—and Rei had had just about enough of this.

He snapped two hands out, taking the slender lines of Nagisa's jaw in both hands and tugged him forward sharply for a brief brush of lips, enough pressure to show it was intentional before pushing him away and trudging past into deeper water. At least he'd finally stifled that laughter.

Rei could feel Nagisa's shocked gaze heavy on his back and tried to shift his focus instead to the odd sensation of his hooves losing purchase as the ocean floor sloped away, leaving him floating along under his own power. He trained his breathing, forcing his heart to stop beating a frantic, panicked tattoo, and took deep, slow inhalations before releasing just as slowly on the exhale.

"…What was that for?" The voice sounded far away, not just physically—but like Nagisa himself was small, lost at sea, confused. 

Rei took a breath—then dared a glance over his shoulder, and found Nagisa bobbing in place where Rei had left him, gently floating up and down again with the waves lapping around them. He shrugged to himself, then forced his gaze around front again so Nagisa didn't catch the nervous little smile tugging at his features as he tried to steady his breathing for a new reason this time. "Retaliation," he repeated, then gave a great kick with his hindquarters to move into deeper waters, beckoning Nagisa to follow with a jerk of his head.

The splash that followed an excited little gasp was music to his ears.


End file.
